Can You See Me?
by OnlyEscape
Summary: Peter wanted attention. He wanted attention. Not Spiderman. (Or 5 times Peter wanted attention, and the 1 time he got it.) Homecoming Universe.
1. Chapter 1: Sleep

**Can You See Me?**

Peter wanted attention. _He_ wanted attention. Not Spiderman. (Or 5 times Peter wanted attention, and the 1 time he got it.)

 **Timeline: Around a month after Homecoming**

 **'Thoughts'**

 **"Speech"**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Sleep**

Peter wanted attention.

 _He_ wanted attention.

Not Spiderman.

He wasn't a greedy person at heart, but what he was; was a child at heart. And children need attention don't they. And Peter's not asking for anything complicated. A hello, or a text to see if he's okay was just fine.

In a way, it started after Homecoming. Honestly, what was he supposed to tell his Aunt. 'Oh yeah, I was just...cosplaying...? You know...practice?'

Peter felt himself physically gag at his attempt of a lie. And this was what he thought of saying after a moment's thought. If he had decided to lie, what stupid thing would he have said off the top of his head?

Peter closed his eyes and breathed out. With these thoughts running through his head, he couldn't sleep. He had a chemistry test tomorrow, but that didn't worry him. He knew that he would ace that in flying colors. But, he did know that there was a high possibility of failing if he couldn't keep his eyes open for more than a minute.

Peter breathed out, and pulled his pillow over his head.

He was so tired. A few moments before this, he was swinging off of buildings and stopping a bank robbery. The adrenaline had prevented him from feeling the pulsing ache in his muscles. Luckily, the same adrenaline that forced him to work so hard made the pain, in a way, numbing.

He eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Peter woke up, coughing.

He felt the smoke and dry paint choking him. Peter didn't want to wake May, so he covered his mouth. Doing this however, made him panic more and he ended up gaging. After the fit had subsided, Peter felt himself go lightheaded. He braced himself on his headboard, and after a few seconds of deep breathing, he opened his eyes.

'I didn't even know I closed my eyes.'

Peter leaned over and grabbed his phone. He flinched when the light raided his eyes, but he was soon able to read the time. 4:14.

'Great.' Peter looked over at his book bag and desk. 'If I'm gonna be awake, might as well be useful.'

This was how Peter found himself finishing the assigned book for his literature class, two weeks ahead of what the teacher's goal was, and had partially started on his Human Geography essay.

He stopped his typing when his phone buzzed his daily 6:30 alarm. He stood up and stretched.

And then he promptly fell back in his chair. His vision had shifted violently, but Peter brushed it off as he was sitting down for too long, even though he knew that he had sat still for a much longer period of time than that.

Peter silently picked out clothes and made his way across the hall to the bathroom. He hadn't noticed the rings of gray under his eyes, until he had decided to run a comb through whatever the thing on his head was.

He sighed, and smiled weakly as his reflection.

"It's go time for Peter Parker."

* * *

The thoughts from last night's self loathing were brought up almost immediately when he met Ned near their lockers.

Ned.

Peter Parker's best friend

Spiderman's guy in the chair.

"Dude that was amazing! I woke up this morning, and I looked at my phone. The news was all over you stopping the bank robbery."

"Thanks dude," Peter mumbled.

Peter was lucky that a door to his locker separated their faces, because Peter didn't have the heart to start faking happiness so early in the morning. And he didn't want Ned to see the bags under his eyes. 'I mean I did cover them up with May's foundation.' Peter closed the door to his locker, holding his needed textbooks. He turned and stepped back quickly, "Dude what are doing?!", because Ned had been leaning in on his face. It was bad enough that Peter was outcasted, but he didn't rumors to start. Not that they bothered him. He just had to much going on right now to keep his attitude in check. Honestly he hadn't even seen Flash this morning, yet the name brought up feelings of Peter wanting to punch him in the nose.

Sleep deprivation.

Every teenager's rite of passage.

In contrast to his fast reaction, Peter felt himself blink so owlishly slowly that he thought he'd collapse there and then.

Ned, on his part, was squinting at Peter; and Peter felt himself shuffle under his gaze. Eventually Ned stepped back and worriedly asked him, "Dude, your not looking okay. Have you been sleeping?"

Peter oddly felt some happiness that someone had noticed, until the smile fell away with Ned's continued dialogue.

"Because you can't be Spiderman if you don't sleep. Rest is key to fighting super villains. I mean it would be totally bad if Spiderman fell asleep while swinging."

Peter felt himself go a little numb.

Peter didn't even get a moment to explain his actions before the 1st period bell rang. Immediately Ned grabbed his book bag, which he had set down by Peter's feet. "Okay see you 3rd period!" Ned was down the hall, merged with other numerous classmates, and Peter hadn't even replied.

'It's alright Ned. I'll make sure to get some sleep. For Spiderman's sake.'

Peter sighed and grabbed his own materials before turning and going down the hall in the opposite direction.

'But what about Peter Parker?'

* * *

 **I have no idea, but I'm obsessed with 5 Times_and The 1 Time_ kind of stories.**

 **I really hope you guys like this, and I'm always open to suggestions. I love critical reviews. It's great to find out how I can make my work better, so you guys can enjoy it!**

 **-OnlyEscape**


	2. Chapter 2: Bullies

**Can You See Me?**

Peter wanted attention. _He_ wanted attention. Not Spiderman. (Or 5 times Peter wanted attention, and the 1 time he got it.)

 **Timeline: About a week after chapter 1**

 **'Thoughts'**

 **"Speech"**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Bullies**

After Peter had confessed to her during Homecoming, she had taken it upon herself to set rules for him. She was constantly reminded that Peter was fine with it. In fact part of him was just glad that he wouldn't need to lie to her. And wasn't May dog-gone happy that he wasn't pulling the wool over her eyes any more. Either way those rules included:

That after school on Monday-Thursday, he would come home at 4.

He would have dinner with her, and do any papers he needed for class the next day.

And at 8, he would become Spiderman.

And it was included that throughout those 4 hours of peaceful bliss, Peter would not engage in any crime fighting activities.

At the same time that Peter would become Spiderman, May would leave for work, (she had taken to doing the nightshift as well as her daily morning shift). May secretly really made the rule of no crime fighting for those hours, because she hardly ever saw her nephew anymore. She wouldn't come back home until near midnight, in which Peter would still be swinging around on his webs for another hour. She would sleep, and then wake up only 30 minutes before Peter would have to run out their door for school. So in reality, other than the half hour in the morning and four hours in the evening, she never got to see _Peter_.

And Peter being the good child that he is, followed the rule.

* * *

Well guess what day it is.

It's Tuesday.

Guess what time it is.

It's almost 6.

Guess where Peter was.

Definitely not at home.

May sighed and pushed her takeout box away from her. She picked up her phone resting next to her and looked at the multiple unanswered text messages she had sent to her idiot-genius nephew.

Yeah, Peter followed the rule, but recently Peter was pushing her away from him. Isolating himself in a way. And May was going to get to the bottom of it. Even if it ends up in tears.

* * *

It was 6:20, and Peter was running through crowds of people going the opposite direction.

"Sorry! Oops - I'm - Excuse me - I - thank you!"

The walking traffic made everything harder for Peter, because he was running with his head down.

Peter pushed himself to the side of the sidewalk, and stopped to breathe, leaning against a building. His apartment building.

Peter bit his lip. He knew that May would be upset with him for being late. Peter also knew that May knew that he was pushing her away, yet Peter himself refused to believe that. 'I'm just taking a break from...people. Yeah, just taking a day in my world for a bit.' He sighed.

Peter stood there for a moment, steeling himself.

'I'll have to face her sometime.'

Peter pushed himself off the building and made his way inside, and began walking straight up the stairs. The journey itself was a few minutes, but with people walking past him, and him tugging his hoodie to hide his face made everything mush worse.

Peter stopped in front of his apartment door and opened it.

As he walked in, May looked up at him.

"Hey Aunt May."

Peter mentally cursed, and without losing eye contact with her, he closed the door behind him.

"Hello Peter. Why don't you have a seat."

"Oh no thanks, I'll just-" Peter tried to joke but it came out as nervousness and with May looking at him like that Peter drew the idea of escaping into his room away. "-Sit down. Yup."

May leaned in close to him, and she quickly pulled his hoodie of his head.

"Peter, what's this?!"

Peter wasn't really sure of the extent of the bruises making his face were, but if there were bad enough to get May to gasp like that then they were _really_ bad.

"Shoot."

"Peter, how did this happen? Were you attacked? Did you- Peter did you try to..."

Peter immediately shook his head when he realized what May was implying.

"No! I wasn't doing anything!"

With Peter's feeble excuse, Mays lips straightened and he could feel the room drop a few degrees.

"Than how did you get these?"

May was leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms.

Peter had no freaking idea why he refused to tell May the truth. Because, he knew that the cause behind the bruises today were a lot less worse than the reasons of when he got them as Spiderman.

Yet, he wouldn't like to admit it, but he had a little pride. It felt wrong to tell May. Especially when the cause of them was such a petty matter.

When the cause were bullies.

Peter could have told her that they were from bullies. That a few seniors had taken a notice of him after little princess Flash had to go yelling out that Peter was an intern to THE Tony Stark in the middle of the hallway.

The seniors HAD to know him as a weak nerd on the Decathlon team.

They HAD to know exactly what streets he took to get home.

They HAD to know exactly where to ambush him in a side alley that he always stopped at to pet some stray cat.

They just HAD to know everything about his life.

Even with the Pride (No, he was not going to tell May about them.) and Anger (He could take them down in seconds, but he COULDN'T and WOULDN'T.) Peter realized that the only reason he didn't tell May...

...was because he hoped that he wouldn't.

He hoped that May would know on her own. That she would take notice of the bruises. Even from when before he been Spiderman. Flash would physically abuse him before taking up to just verbal assaults. He hoped that May would SEE Peter.

But as Peter took in May's angry - and defeated - eyes, and her accusation, he realized that she didn't see him.

She saw Spiderman and his faults.

He must have stared for too long before May leaned back, sighing. When she met his eyes, he swallowed the little liquid in his mouth when he took notice of the dejected look she was giving him.

"Wait here."

Peter continued to look in his lap even as May stood up to go get a bruise cream - thanks to her being a nurse - and returned. She opened the bootle, and grabbing his chin to lift his face, she began to rub the cream on his face.

Peter and May both avoided eye contact with the other.

After she applied it on, May put the cream away. Peter still hadn't moved.

She sat back down and they finished dinner, silently.

* * *

May had left for the night shift. Peter would have been gone by know, yet he was still standing in front of his bedroom mirror staring at himself. He was wearing the Spiderman suit, minus the mask.

Peter couldn't help but think back to the time he had spoken to Ned last month about him losing sleep.

How Ned found Spiderman more amazing then Peter Parker.

How he had cared if Spiderman was okay, over Peter Parker.

Peter shrugged. "I guess Ned isn't the only one."

Peter put the mask on, and left through his window.

He didn't return till three in the morning.

* * *

 **So, I feel like this story will go into darker themes. If you guys are against that, I would love to know. It was while I was writing this that I realized how honest Peter is, yet he's really impressionable. He takes a lot of things to heart, and I feel like he sometimes will take it to far.**

 **Anyways, I'd love to know your ideas on what you might want to see in the future!**

 **Have A Great Day!**

 **-OnlyEscape**


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